Tag Archives: Fanon

“The need for this change exists in a raw, repressed, and reckless state in the lives and consciousness of colonized men and women. But the eventuality of such a change is also experienced as a terrifying future in the consciousness of another: “species” of men and women of colons, the colonist.”

I decided to use this quote from Fanon because it shows what the colonize people are under colonial rule. Plus the idea of the colonist understand their subjects are just words of the wealth you want more money through colonization and ruling over people. Fanon mentioned about decolonization and how it works but he states that the men that comes out of the end the decolonization. In addition decolonization is the creation of new man and I think that is interesting because the people that were colonize would become their own man with their own rules. In addition within the colonize country the officals are people from the colonizer government trying to keep the colonize people under check in any form possible, and violence is one of those forms. An perfect example of the oppressed colonize people are under the oppressors is “We have seen how the government’s agent uses a language of pure violence. The agent does not alleviate oppression or mask domination. He displays and demonstrates them with the clear conscience of the law enforcer, and bring violence into the home and minds of the colonized subject” (p.4/PDFpg.5).

He mentioned how the ‘native’ people are living in their quarters. These people were living in s “disreputable place inhabited by disreputable people”(Ibid).In addition these sectors are always seeking something to eat The world between the colonizer and the colonize people are two divided world which one of those group of people are from different species. The difference of skin color comes to after because if you are white you are rich but if you are rich it is because you are white. it something that has been placed since the colonization has occurred. But what Fanon was trying to say it is not what you have the in the bank but the ruling class (species) is always the outsider and they are different from the natives (indigenous population/ ‘others’).

Fanon mentioned that thee colonize feel envy because they hope one day they could take the place of the colonizer. It is something we can see in our modern world that we want to become that rich person and do not have to work as hard anymore and look through the windows. In addition the way he describe colonization is close to a prison that has a 24/7 surveillance and restriction. I believe it is close to a dictator regime even though in the colonization world the colonizer benefits.

Colonization that he notice is (what I see) more dominating when the other group want more from the other groups. Fanon talks about the colonization of Africa and how colonization effects and the hold of western aspect of life should be is still instill today (education, thoughts of becoming rich and do not have to work anymore).

Colonialism is a big concept on Fanon’s part. I do see where he gets the violence and agree with his theory. Colonialism, there is no attempt to hide the control by the governing capital. The police are right there on the street next to you speaking with force to get jobs done and follow the mother capital’s rules. This can make many people angry and in the mood to revolt with violent tendencies. The natural reaction is to fight fire with fire and what more do you expect from a massive colonized group that is being oppressed. It happened all over the world, in France, India, the United States and many other nations where revolution was sparked. But, you need the spark to be set and the best people are the ones with the least to lose and the most degraded in the society. They are the backbone to most revolutions as they provide the numbers in battle. Now, how can we compare this to society today…?

Revolutions around the world are still occurring, but lets look a little closer to home. Although we live in a capitalist society, that just covers up the oppression occurring. revolutions are taking place all around the nation from New York to Oakland. These events could be the start to a societal revolution that the people see is needed. There is still no spark yet, and the group is not focused so there will be no success in a revolution. Also the fact that the military with its standing army, hellfire missiles and stealth planes, any violent revolution will be slaughtered…Other methods must take commencement. As a nation, we have to take Oakland as a major example and just tweak the formula. It isn’t enough to just get people together. The group has to be focused with core ideas. They cant just stand around with their own personal ideas, one to disband the government while others just want milk and gas to cost less. With core ideas, their is a willingness and a bond to fight together. From the lumpenproletariat to the doctors and lawyers in our society, change will only commence if core ideas are drawn together and focused into a concise plan for success.

Even though the cops are not armed on every street corner, capitalist society uses different control methods. from education to authoritarian government tactics the people are not entirely free and and oppressed not by guns, but by society. So as a society, we have to look at Oakland. If we have a problem with the way this nation works, we have to stand up as a group and act. We are not the worst in the world (some nations have over 50% unemployment rate for late teen-mid 20’s) but if this trend where the 1% gets richer while the rest suffer, it wont be long until we reach those numbers. So we look at Fanon with colonialism and control by the mother country. Even though we cant see them everywhere physically…All we have to do is look inside their methods through schooling, cuts in certain government and private areas, the disparity between pay between the CEO of companies and their workers, gas, taxes, control on certain substances even if their is a medical gain, etc. Just takes some reading in between the lines to see that we are still a controlled populous by a different mother country, wearing different clothing, speaking a similar language, with different tactics. We are still the colonized providing for the government.

Malcolm X, inarguably one of the most provocative Civil Rights leaders, was known for his radical views and blunt approach. Malcolm X dedicated the later portion of his life to what he would consider “emancipating blacks from mental slavery” and mobilizing them to (literally) combat racism and prejudice. He saw white Americans as the biggest threat to overall African American progress. Mr. X, however, did not believe blacks were honestly American. After listening to several of his speeches, I identified the source of these sentiments. He expressed many elements of colonialism and oppression (from white Americans) in his rhetoric. This automatically reminded me of Frantz Fanon and his literature. Fanon describes that within a colonial system, there exists two conflicting societies: the colonizers and the colonized. The colonizer oppresses and barbarizes the colonized, allowing himself/herself to take full control. In this particular case, Malcolm X would consider whites as the colonizers and blacks as the colonized. Throughout history, blacks were portrayed as less intelligent and incapable of functioning effectively in society. This is partially why systems such as Jim Crow were instituted. In the video above, Malcolm X particularly speaks on decolonization and the growth of a revolution. He discusses the difference between a black revolution and a negro revolution. The latter, he argues remains stuck in colonialism. Just as Fanon writes that liberation for the colonized is only possible through revolutionary violence, Mr. X conveys this very same idea. He makes it a point to remind the crowd that every revolution in history, up to that particular point, had resulted in bloodshed. It seems that Mr. X could have been an unofficial student of Fanon.

Fanon describes decolonization in the Wretched of the Earthand the problems with it. For Fanon this can only be reversed with violence. Using biblical words “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last” Fanon describes successful decolonization. He contends that “decolonisation is quite simply the replacing of a certain “species” of men by another “species” of men.” This of course is not a simple task but he shows a different outlook on decolonization.

For Fanon violence is the answer to the psychological and physical freedom of the native intellect. The colonial world Fanon writes is a “world cut in two” and that in this world a native is forced upon policing and subjected to there morals resulting in unfair treatment and a gun or weapon used to control the native. He argues that” The intermediary does not lighten the oppression, nor seek to hide the domination; he shows them up and puts them into practice with the clear conscience of an upholder of the peace; yet he is the bringer of violence into the home and into the mind of the native….” This is powerful as Fanon is justifying the need for violence while showing that peace is not achieved without it. The people who put the idea, stereotyped and made the native an enemy not only will want peace but, will not understand why the native is violent.

We see this in America today where racism still exists sadly enough. America once hated black people and segregated race, it is a part of the aftermath of decolonization. Italians, Irish, African americans and presently latin americans have all gone through this racism and change. But as Fanon enlightens us to change our government violence may be needed.

In his essay “On National Culture” Fanon points out that “Colonialism’s insistence that “niggers” have no culture, and Arabs are by nature barbaric, inevitably leads to glorification of cultural phenomena that become continental instead of national, and singularly racialized.” By alienating the native intellect, they become consumed in the past and want to identify with their historical country. The native is not up to date with their current residence because they get lost in the past. This is bad because it negates the effects of being assimilated in the first place. A viscous cycle that must end in violence.

If Fanon is correct and violence is the only way the native and the settler can achieve a new unity and solidarity what can be said about America? Will it too crumble under decolonization? As an American from New York I have seen a vast majority of different cultures and traditions people hold onto. Perhaps the different culture is Americas assimilation and culture. Yet we cannot deny that not everyone believes this. America may be in risk for complete destruction untill racism does not exist but of course time can only tell.